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Jason Kapono

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Jason Kapono
Kapono with the Miami Heat in 2007
Personal information
Born (1981-02-04) February 4, 1981 (age 43)
Long Beach, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolArtesia (Lakewood, California)
CollegeUCLA (1999–2003)
NBA draft2003: 2nd round, 31st overall pick
Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Playing career2003–2013
PositionSmall forward
Number24, 72, 28, 9
Career history
2003–2004Cleveland Cavaliers
2004–2005Charlotte Bobcats
2005–2007Miami Heat
2007–2009Toronto Raptors
2009–2011Philadelphia 76ers
2011–2012Los Angeles Lakers
2012–2013Panathinaikos
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points3,398 (6.7 ppg)
Rebounds844 (1.7 rpg)
Assists417 (0.8 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA U21 World Championship
Gold medal – first place 2001 Saitama Team competition

Jason Alan Kapono (born February 4, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He was the first National Basketball Association (NBA) player to lead the league in three-point field goal percentage in two consecutive seasons, and he also won the Three-Point Contest twice (2007, 2008). He won an NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006.

Kapono played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He was the first player in the school's history to earn first-team All-Pac-10 honors for four years and was also the first UCLA player to lead the team in scoring four straight years. Kapono began his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who drafted him in the second round of the 2003 NBA draft. He later played in the NBA for the Charlotte Bobcats, Miami, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers before joining Panathinaikos B.C. in Greece.

Early life

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Kapono was born in Long Beach, California, to Joe and Joni Kapono. Jason prepped at Southern California basketball powerhouse Artesia High School in Lakewood, California, where he was a McDonald's All-American and won several accolades and titles.[1] In his senior year at Artesia he averaged 23.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.[2]

After a successful high school career, he enjoyed an outstanding college career at UCLA, where he finished as the third all-time leading scorer with 2,095 points, was the first Bruin to earn first-team All-Pac-10 honors all four years, and was the only UCLA player to lead the school in scoring four straight years.[3] He also set a school record for most three-pointers made in a game when he connected on 9 of 11 attempts against Washington State on January 4, 2003.[a] Kapono graduated with a degree in history. He was a second-round draft choice of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA draft.[5]

Professional career

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Cleveland Cavaliers (2003–2004)

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Kapono only played 41 games and started 3 in his first NBA season, although he led the team in three-point field goal percent at 47.7%. He averaged 3.5 PPG for his rookie campaign. He became an efficient 3pt shooter and was also good from the free-throw line, shooting 83% from the stripe. The Cavaliers finished the season 37–45 and missed the playoffs.

Charlotte Bobcats (2004–2005)

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After his rookie season with Cleveland, he was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2004 expansion draft, where he increased his scoring average from 3.5 to 8.5 points per game. He also made the first block in Bobcats history. Kapono also increased his assist and rebound average this season, although his total FG% including 3pt% slightly declined. This was the Bobcats first ever season and the team was very young and had potential, although they were also inexperienced. The Bobcats finished the season with an 18–64 record and Kapono was a free agent. The Bobcats decided to not re-sign Kapono.

Miami Heat (2005–2007)

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Instead, he was signed as a free agent by the Miami Heat where he was part of the 2005–06 NBA championship team. His scoring took a toll as he had a lesser role on this elite team. His scoring average dropped down to 4.1 for the season, and he only played 51 games in the season. But he won his first and only championship with the Heat. In the 2006–07 season, Kapono's points-per-game average and minutes played significantly increased, and he led the league in three-point percentage with .514, which is close to the all-time single-season three-point percentage record held by Kyle Korver (.536), and is the fourth best percentage in league season history. He averaged a career high in scoring, minutes, and rebounding. Kapono also won the Three-Point Contest in the 2007 All-Star Weekend three-point shoot-out competition by defeating Dirk Nowitzki and Gilbert Arenas in the final round with a score of 24 points which tied Mark Price's record for most points in a final round of the three-point contest. The 2006–2007 season is greatly considered to be the greatest season of his career due to his accomplishments and statistics. Despite this, the defending champions had a disappointing season, finishing with an average 44–38 record and getting swept in the first round by the Chicago Bulls.

Toronto Raptors (2007–2009)

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Kapono with the Raptors in 2007

Kapono became a free agent in the 2007 offseason and signed with the Toronto Raptors on July 11. His statistic averages went down following the 2006–2007 season with the Heat, but he still played well. Kapono led the league in three-point percentage going into the 2008 All-Star weekend. In the final round of the contest, he scored 25 points, tying the all-time single round record set in 1986 and also setting a new finals record.[6] On December 14, 2007, he had a career-high 29 points and pulled down 8 rebounds. He also ended the 2007–08 season as the top three-point shooter in the league.[7] He was the first player in NBA history to have the highest three-point percentage in two consecutive seasons.[8] He helped the Raptors reach the 2008 playoffs. The team finished the season with a 41–41 record and placed 6th in the East. They faced the up-and-coming Orlando Magic who beat the Raptors 4–1. Later in the summer, Kapono was picked for the USA Basketball Select Team which trained with USA Men's Senior National Team in Las Vegas to assist in the buildup to the 2008 Summer Olympics. In the 2008–2009 season the Raptors missed the playoffs with a mediocre 33–49 record.

Philadelphia 76ers (2009–2011)

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On June 9, 2009, Kapono was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Reggie Evans.[9] Kapono was a victim of several starting lineup changes throughout the season. Kapono started the season with sparing minutes off the bench, but was later given the starting SF spot, near the end of the season. However, after losing his starting spot two games into the following season, Kapono was back to coming off the bench for sparing minutes. The team finished with an abysmal record for the 2009–2010 season, they went 27–55. The 76ers made the playoffs in 2011, but were outmatched by Kapono's former team; the Miami Heat. They lost the series 1–4. Kapono only averaged 0.7 PPG for that season and he didn't play a second of the 2011 playoffs. After the 2010-2011 NBA season came to an end, Kapono's contract with the 76ers expired and he became a free agent.[10]

Los Angeles Lakers (2011–2012)

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On December 9, 2011, Kapono signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.[11] He only played 27 games for the Lakers. Kapono's final NBA game was played on March 14, 2012, in a 107–101 win over the New Orleans Hornets where he played for four minutes and the only stat he recorded was 1 assist.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2012)

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On March 15, 2012, Kapono was traded along with Luke Walton and a 2012 first-round draft choice to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga.[12] He didn't play any games for the Cavaliers and was waived 2 days later on March 17.[13]

Panathinaikos (2012–2013)

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On November 15, 2012, he signed with Panathinaikos, of the Euroleague and Greek League.[14] However, his arrival in Greece was delayed until December 11, as he remained in the United States, due to complications with his wife's pregnancy.[15][16] He won the Greek Cup with Panathinaikos in 2013.[17] In March, he decided to leave the team, due to limited playing opportunities.[18]

Retirement

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Kapono reportedly retired in May 2014.[19] However, on October 4, 2014, he signed with the Golden State Warriors.[20] He was later waived by the Warriors on October 24, 2014, after appearing in five preseason games.[21] Kapono never played in the NBA again.

NBA record

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At one point, Kapono was the most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history. On November 25, 2007, he made his 250th three-point shot, qualifying him for the NBA record in 3-point shooting accuracy. He immediately moved into first place with a .461 ratio of 3-point shots made to shots attempted, moving ahead of Steve Kerr, who had the previous lifetime best at .454. Kapono has since dropped behind Kerr and others.[22]

Career statistics

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NBA

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship  *  Led the league

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2003–04 Cleveland 41 3 10.4 .403 .477 .833 1.3 .3 .3 .0 3.5
2004–05 Charlotte 81 14 18.4 .401 .412 .824 2.0 .8 .5 .1 8.5
2005–06† Miami 51 2 13.0 .446 .396 .848 1.4 .7 .1 .1 4.1
2006–07 Miami 67 35 26.4 .494 .514* .892 2.7 1.2 .6 .0 10.9
2007–08 Toronto 81 7 18.9 .488 .483* .860 1.5 .8 .4 .0 7.2
2008–09 Toronto 80 12 22.9 .432 .428 .810 2.0 1.3 .3 .0 8.2
2009–10 Philadelphia 57 12 17.1 .419 .368 .600 1.2 .7 .4 .1 5.7
2010–11 Philadelphia 24 2 4.7 .250 .125 .500 .5 .2 .1 .0 .7
2011–12 L.A. Lakers 27 0 10.0 .382 .296 1.000 .5 .4 .1 .0 2.0
Career 509 87 17.8 .442 .434 .835 1.7 .8 .4 .0 6.7

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2006† Miami 1 0 2.0 .000 .000 .000 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
2007 Miami 4 1 19.3 .471 .500 1.000 1.3 .5 .5 .0 5.0
2008 Toronto 5 0 30.4 .585 .542 .750 2.6 .8 .4 .0 15.6
Career 10 1 23.1 .557 .536 .833 1.8 .6 .4 .0 9.8

EuroLeague

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2012–13 Panathinaikos 8 0 15.3 .333 .462 .917 1.0 1.0 .0 .0 7.4 4.4
Career 8 0 15.3 .333 .462 .917 1.0 1.0 .0 .0 7.4 4.4

Personal life

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Kapono is of Hawaiian and Portuguese descent.[23] He has a sister, Jillian. On August 28, 2004, he married Ashley Kapono (née Cline) and together they have four children. His father-in-law Tony Cline played football at the University of Miami and in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders, while his brother-in-law Tony Cline Jr. played football at Stanford University and with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers.[5]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The record was tied by Bryce Alford when he made 9 of 11 on March 19, 2015.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Player Bio: Jason Kapono". UCLABruins.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014.
  2. ^ "Harvey named national player of the year". USA Today. May 21, 1999. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
  3. ^ "UCLA Bruins in the NBA (2011)". UclaBruins.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012.
  4. ^ "No. 14-seed UAB (20-15) vs. No. 11-seed UCLA (21-13)" (PDF). UCLA Sports Information. March 21, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "2010–11 Sixers Media Guide" (PDF). NBA.com. Philadelphia 76ers. 2010. pp. 71–3. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 7, 2014.
  6. ^ McMenamin, Dave, "Kapono Lights Up Saturday Night" Archived March 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, nba.com, February 17, 2008, accessed February 18, 2008.
  7. ^ 2007–08 THREE POINTERS LEADERS: 3-Point FG Percentage Archived October 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, nba.com, accessed August 26, 2008.
  8. ^ Herring, Chris (December 18, 2012). "Offense? Yes. Defense? Not So Much". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013.
  9. ^ Philadelphia 76ers Acquire Forward Jason Kapono From Toronto, nba.com accessed June 15, 2009.
  10. ^ Smith, Brian (June 21, 2011). "Offseason shopping list: Thunder". FOXSportsSouthwest.com. Retrieved July 7, 2011. Jason Kapono is by far the best shooter in the free agent bunch, making treys at a 44 percent clip during his NBA career.
  11. ^ Lakers sign Kapono
  12. ^ "Cavaliers Acquire 2012 First Round Pick, Kapono, Walton and Right To Swap 2013 First Round Picks From Lakers". NBA.com. March 15, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  13. ^ "Cavaliers Announce Player Transactions". NBA.com. March 17, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  14. ^ "PANATHINAIKOS lands shooter Jason Kapono". euroleague.net. November 15, 2012. Archived from the original on November 19, 2012.
  15. ^ "Jason Kapono expected to join Panathinaikos next week". sportando.net. November 29, 2012. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  16. ^ "Kapono: Defense, offense and a smart game". Panathinaikos BS. December 11, 2012. Archived from the original on May 24, 2014.
  17. ^ "KAPONO, JASON". euroleague.net. Archived from the original on March 3, 2013.
  18. ^ "Without Kapono". Panathinaikos BC. March 4, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
  19. ^ Jason Kapono retires at 33
  20. ^ Warriors Sign Jason Kapono to Contract
  21. ^ "Warriors Waive Craft, Kapono, Kilpatrick, Mcadoo and Watt". NBA.com. October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  22. ^ All Time Leaders: Three Point Field Goal Percentage Archived March 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, nba.com, accessed January 31, 2008.
  23. ^ "Q&A". UCLABruins.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014. And no I'm not Italian. I have no Italian in me. I have some Hawaiian and Portuguese, but no Italian.
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